Patent Grant
11745070
The disclosure herein relates to athletic equipment for sports wherein one of the primary objectives is throwing a ball through a hollow target or goal, such as a hoop in the game of basketball. More specifically, some embodiments of the disclosure include a chute assembly for returning a ball after the ball has passed through the hoop. The chute assembly is adapted to be attached to a backboard rather than the hoop or a basket assembly, which eases installation and improves stability over previous designs. In addition, some embodiments of the disclosure include a goal assembly including a basket assembly, a backboard, and a ball return chute assembly adapted to be attached to the backboard rather than the basket assembly. Still further embodiments include a portable goal assembly for hanging over a door. The portable goal assembly includes a backboard, two side-by-side basket assemblies, and two ball return chute assemblies, one beneath each basket assembly, that each attaches to the backboard rather than a basket assembly.
Basketball is a favorite pastime of both young and old. The first rudimentary version of basketball was played in the 1800's and, since then, has progressively become a mainstay of popular international culture. This ever increasing popularity has resulted in numerous commercial opportunities, which in turn have resulted in considerable development of the sport. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,569 (hereafter the “'569 Patent”), discloses games such as basketball that entail repetitive practice in shooting the ball through the basket. Different game situations must be practiced for a player to become adept at all phases of the game. In typical practice sessions, one or more players will attempt shots to the basket from different locations.
A frequently occurring problem during shooting practice is that after each shot, the ball must be retrieved for the subsequent shot. In particular, when a shot successfully passes through the basket, the ball tends to avoid returning to the shooter. While this is seemingly insignificant, it delays subsequent practice shooting and development. Far more practice could be completed and the overall enjoyment of practice could be improved if the ball could be retrieved expeditiously.
The prior art has suggested apparatuses for directing the return of the ball following successful shots. The ability to effect return following an unsuccessful shot is limited due to the random trajectory or rebound direction following an unsuccessful shot. However, successful shots will predictably pass through the basket, after which the ball may be intercepted and directed to return in a predetermined direction. To this end, the prior art has proposed sloping channels or chutes disposed beneath a basket. Some exemplary chutes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,945,638, 4,896,882, 4,957,289, 5,348,290, and the '569 Patent. In each exemplary case, a chute is attached to a hoop or a basket assembly.
Attaching a ball return chute to the hoop or the basket assembly, however, is not easy due to the shape and construction of most basket assemblies. Also, most basket assemblies are not built to support and provide rigidity to an attached ball return chute and, as such, can degrade the structural integrity of the basket assembly over repeated usage.
As a result, additional apparatus and methods are needed to provide a ball return chute that is both easy to install and durable.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure and is not to be interpreted as a complete and comprehensive listing of all of the objects, aspects, features and advantages associated with the present disclosure.
In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, a basketball return chute assembly, a basketball goal assembly, and a portable two basket basketball goal assembly are disclosed.
The basketball return chute assembly includes a chute and a backboard attachment device. The chute is adapted to receive a ball from a basketball basket assembly attached to a backboard and direct the received ball back to a game player. The backboard attachment device is connected to the chute and is adapted to attach to the backboard, to place the chute beneath the basket assembly, and to cause the chute to direct the received ball in a direction away from the backboard.
In some embodiments, the chute includes a slide and the backboard attachment device includes a plate.
In some embodiments, the backboard attachment device is connected to the chute using a hinge mechanism. The chute assembly further includes a hinge pin. The slide of the chute includes a hinge chute knuckle at one end. The plate of the backboard attachment device includes a hinge plate knuckle at one end. The backboard attachment device is connected to the chute by axially aligning the hinge chute knuckle and the hinge plate knuckle and inserting the hinge pin through the hinge chute knuckle and the hinge plate knuckle while they are aligned.
In some embodiments, the hinge chute knuckle further includes a stop that fixes the position of the chute with respect to the backboard attachment device when the plate contacts the stop.
In some embodiments, the plate includes one or more holes for bolting or screwing the plate to the backboard.
In some embodiments, the plate includes one or more holes to insert one or more sensors through or to enable the one or more sensors to be spaced from and detect through.
In some embodiments, the slide includes one or more holes to reduce the weight or the amount of material required for the slide.
The basketball goal assembly includes a backboard, a basket assembly, and a basketball return chute assembly. The basket assembly is attached to the backboard. The basketball return chute assembly includes the features of the basketball return chute assembly described above.
In some embodiments, the basketball goal assembly further includes the backboard and a basket assembly attached to the backboard, wherein one or more door hangers are attached to the backboard for hanging the basketball goal assembly over a door. The basketball goal return chute assembly may include the features described above
In some embodiments, each door hanger of the one or more door hangers includes a flange at one end of the door hanger to guide the door hanger over the door.
In some embodiments, the basketball return chute assembly further includes a rim hook. The rim hook is connected to the slide of the basketball return chute assembly for attaching an end of the slide to a rim of the basket assembly to stow the chute when not in use.
In some embodiments, the slide of the basketball return chute assembly further includes a clip and the rim hook includes a peg at one end. The peg is inserted into the clip to connect the rim hook to the slide.
In some embodiments, the slide of the basketball return chute assembly further includes a slot. The slot accepts the rim hook when not being used and prevents the rim hook from interfering with a ball being returned by the slide.
The portable two basket basketball goal assembly includes a backboard, one or more door hangers, two basket assemblies, and two basketball return chute assemblies. The one or more door hangers are attached to the backboard for hanging the basketball goal assembly over a door. The two basket assemblies are attached side-by-side to the backboard. Each one of the two basketball return chute assemblies may include the features of the basketball return chute assembly described above.
These and other aspects of the disclosure are set forth herein.
The skilled artisan will understand that the drawings, described below, are for illustration purposes only. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Before one or more embodiments of the present teachings are described in detail, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure is not limited in their application to the details of construction, the arrangements of components, and the arrangement of steps set forth in the following detailed description or illustrated in the drawings. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. In general, the subject embodiments are directed to athletic equipment for sports wherein one of the primary objectives is throwing a ball through a hollow target or goal. However, the example embodiments are only provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail. Furthermore, one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the specific sequences in which methods are presented and performed are illustrative and it is contemplated that the sequences can be varied and remain within the spirit and scope of embodiments of the present invention.
Backboard Attached Ball Return Chute
As described above, games such as basketball entail repetitive practice in shooting the ball through the basket. A frequently occurring problem during shooting practice is that after each shot, the ball must be retrieved for the subsequent shot. The prior art has suggested apparatus for directing the return of the ball following successful shots. In each exemplary case, a chute is attached to a basket assembly or hoop.
Attaching a ball return chute to a basket assembly or hoop, however, is not easy due to the shape and varied construction of most basket assemblies. Also, most basket assemblies are not built to support and provide rigidity to an attached ball return chute.
As a result, additional apparatus and methods are needed to provide a ball return chute that is both easy to install and durable.
In some embodiments, a ball return chute assembly is adapted to be attached to a backboard rather than the basket assembly or hoop. Attaching the chute assembly to a backboard rather than the basket assembly or hoop eases installation, improves stability, and enhances the durability of the chute assembly and the entire goal assembly.
Ball return chute assembly 4 is adapted or constructed to be attached to a backboard rather than a basket assembly by further including a backboard attachment device 41. The backboard attachment device 41 attaches to a backboard.
The backboard attachment device 41 includes a plate 411. The plate 411 is connected to the backboard, for example, by bolting or screwing to a backboard using one or more holes 413 in the plate 411. The backboard attachment device 41 can attach to a front or back of a backboard. Thus, in some embodiments, the backboard attachment device 41 may be attached, or configured to attach, to the back of a backboard.
In some embodiments, the backboard attachment device 41 can further include one or more openings or windows 412. These openings or windows 412 can be used, for example, to enable a sensor to sense or count the number of balls received by slide 421 and perform certain actions like tallying a score.
The chute 42 may be physically connected to backboard attachment device 41 of the chute assembly 4. In some embodiments, the chute 42 is connected to the backboard attachment device 41 via a hinge mechanism that will be detailed below.
In order to physically connect the chute 42 and the backboard attachment device 41 of chute assembly 4 through a hinge mechanism, the hinge chute knuckle 420 and the hinge plate knuckle 410 are axially aligned. The chute assembly 4 may further include a hinge pin 43. The hinge pin 43 is inserted through the hinge chute knuckle 420 and the hinge plate knuckle 410 when they are axially aligned to hold them in place and complete assembly of the hinge mechanism.
The chute assembly 4, therefore, may essentially be a type of a hinge. The slide 421 of the chute 42 is one leaf of the hinge, and the plate 411 of the backboard attachment device 41 is the other leaf of the hinge. The hinge chute knuckle 420 of the chute 42 is one knuckle of the hinge, and the hinge plate knuckle 410 of the backboard attachment device 41 is the other knuckle of the hinge. The hinge may be held together using the hinge pin 43.
The connecting chute 42 and the backboard attachment device 41 of the chute assembly 4 providing relative hinged or pivotal movement enables the movement of chute 42 with respect to the backboard attachment device 41 during installation, transport, or storage. In some embodiments, the movement of the chute 42 with respect to the backboard attachment device 41 is not unlimited. For example, the hinge chute knuckle 420 may include a stop 4200 that fixes the chute 42 at an angle with respect to the backboard attachment device 41 during a game.
Various angles may be selected for a game, for example, between 90 and 180 degrees. These angles allow the slide 421 to catch and then direct a ball in a direction of a game player when the chute assembly 4 is in use during a game. In other words, before a game, the chute 42 is moved with respect to the backboard attachment device 41 so that the stop 4200 of the hinge chute knuckle 420 contacts the plate 411 of the backboard attachment device 41, placing the chute assembly 4 in a fixed and stable position for ball return.
Goal Assembly with Backboard Attached Ball Return Chute
The basket assembly 2 may also be physically attached to the backboard 1. The basket assembly 2 includes, for example, a rim or hoop and an attachment plate for attaching to the backboard 1.
The chute assembly 4 is positioned directly beneath the basket assembly 2 so that the chute 42 of the chute assembly 4 receives a ball from the basket assembly 2. As best illustrated in
In some embodiments, the goal assembly of
As described above, in some embodiments, the backboard attachment device 41 can include an opening or window 412. The window 412 is used to enable a sensor 12 to be inserted through or see through backboard attachment device 41 and count the number of balls received by chute 42. Note that backboard 1 also includes a hole or window for sensor 12. The sensor 12 may further including a user interface that displays the count and/or wirelessly transmits the count to an electronic device such as a portable electronic device.
In some embodiments, the chute assembly 4 further includes a rim hook 45. As shown in
Goal Assembly with Two Basket Assemblies and Ball Return Chutes
The basket assemblies 2A and 2B may also physically attached to the backboard 1. The chute assembly 4A is positioned directly beneath the basket assembly 2A so that the slide 421A of the chute 42A receives a ball from the basket assembly 2A. The slide 421A may then return the ball to a game player in a direction, for example, perpendicular to the backboard 1. Similarly, the chute assembly 4B may be positioned directly beneath the basket assembly 2B so that the slide 421B of the chute 42B receives a ball from basket assembly 2B. The slide 421B may then return the ball to a game player in a direction, for example, perpendicular to backboard 1.
The door hangers 31 may be attached to a top of the backboard 1 and allow the goal assembly to be attached to a door for a game. The door hangers 31 may be placed over the top of a door and may be configured to permit the door to close after attachment.
The backboard attachment devices of the chute assemblies 4A and 4B may each include a hole or window allowing one or more sensors 12A and 12B to sense balls received from the basket assemblies 2A and 2B. In some embodiments, the backboard 1 also includes holes or windows for the sensors 12A and 12B.
In some embodiments, the backboard 1 also includes one or more holes or windows 11 for a scoreboard. The scoreboard is, for example, in communication with the sensors 12A and 12B to tally or count a score for each of the basket assemblies 2A and 2B. The windows may be configured as digital displays and may display, for example, a digital reading of a score for each of the basket assemblies 2A and 2B separately and also a time (e.g., a countdown). Therefore, in some embodiments, there may be three windows, a first window for displaying the score of the basket assembly 2A, a second window for displaying the score of the basket assembly 2B, and a third window for displaying a time.
In some embodiments, the backboard attachment devices 41A and 41B include windows 412A and 412B, respectively. The windows 412A and 412B may each receive one or more sensors 12A and 12B or, alternatively, allow the sensors 12A and 12B to be spaced from and detect through the backboard attachment devices 41A and 41B.
In some embodiments, the backboard attachment device 41A and the chute 42A of the chute assembly 4A may be connected by a hinge mechanism created using a hinge chute knuckle 420A. Similarly, the backboard attachment device 41B and the chute 42B of the chute assembly 4B may be connected by a hinge mechanism created using hinge a chute knuckle 420B.
While the present teachings are described in conjunction with some embodiments, it is not intended that the present teachings be limited to such embodiments. On the contrary, the present teachings encompass various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art.
Further, in describing some embodiments, the specification may have presented a method and/or process as a particular sequence of steps. However, to the extent that the method or process does not rely on the particular order of steps set forth herein, the method or process should not be limited to the particular sequence of steps described. As one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate, other sequences of steps may be possible. Therefore, the particular order of the steps set forth in the specification should not be construed as limitations on the claims. In addition, the claims directed to the method and/or process should not be limited to the performance of their steps in the order written, and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the some embodiments.
This U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/082,355 filed on Sep. 23, 2020, titled “Two Player Door Court,” the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20220088451 A1 | Mar 2022 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63082355 | Sep 2020 | US |
